Course Learning Objectives
- Identify the historical antecedents of contemporary global health practices, outcomes, and policies.
- Explain how the discipline of global health relates to problematic histories of race-based oppression and colonialism.
- Analyze how axes of difference and marginality manifest in global health outcomes.
- Explain the dominant social, economic, and political forces that drive (ill-) health globally.
- Describe the global burden of disease and mortality in multiple dimensions—by geography, social class, race, and gender, among others.
- Describe how health policy takes different forms in various political-economic environments.
- Identify the relationship between global governance structures and contemporary global health.
- Identify emerging topics in global health.
- Critique the field of global health.
- Apply course knowledge in crafting prospective global health interventions.
Module Learning Objectives*
*Subject to change
Module 1: Framing Global Health
- Discuss the key health indicators and terms related to measuring health status and the burden of disease.
- Describe the relationship between demography and health, and the demographic, epidemiologic, and nutrition transitions.
- Describe the determinants of health, the leading causes of death, and drivers of disease, and explain how they vary by social class, age, sex, and region.
- Describe the progress made in improving human health and the key gaps that remain.
- Discuss the interconnectedness of the Sustainable Development Goals, their relation to global health, and the progress towards achieving the 2030 agenda.
Module 2: Political Economy of Global Health
- Discuss neoliberalism and how its imposition has influenced health and health systems globally.
- Describe how the legacies of colonialism and racism impact contemporary global health.
- Describe the key determinants of health including social, political, and economic determinants for people living in vulnerable circumstances.
- Describe the origins of debt and structural adjustment programs and how they impact global health.
Module 3: Primary Health Care and Health Systems
- Explain global approaches and movements toward health reform and the value of Alma-Ata as a guiding principle in healthcare reform.
- Describe the difference between vertical, horizontal, and diagonal programs.
- Discuss the model of primary health care and the significance of selective primary health care and vertical programming.
- Describe the organization, main functions, and key issues of health systems.
- Describe successes and failures in global health.
Module 4: International Assistance
- Describe the types of international agencies and their roles in global health.
- Describe the types of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as the challenges and opportunities they present in the field of global health.
- Describe the major organizational actors in global health and their global health efforts.
- Describe 2-3 successful international agencies or NGO interventions in the field of global health.
- Identify the relationship between global governance structures and contemporary global health.
Module 5: War, Structural Violence, Crises and Health Impacts
- Discuss how war influences health outcomes, exacerbates health inequities, and strains healthcare systems globally.
- Examine how human rights are affected by conflict, including the right to health, and assess the implications for global health policy and humanitarian responses.
- Explore how war acts as a mechanism of structural violence that perpetuates social, economic, and health disparities within and across societies.
- Investigate the diverse experiences of war across different regions and cultures, focusing on the immediate and long-term effects on individuals, communities, and healthcare infrastructure.
- Examine case studies of healthcare systems affected by conflict, analyzing the challenges they face and potential solutions for resilience and recovery.
- Reflect on the broader societal consequences of war, such as population displacement, mental health crises, and economic burdens, and their implications for global health interventions.
- Compare the frequency of wars now vs. previous centuries.
- Explain possible motivations for countries to engage in war and conflict globally.
Module 6: Health, Culture, Behavior and Conditions of Daily Life
- Describe key elements of the relationship between culture and health.
- Explain theories of behavioral change and measures to promote behavior change for better health.
- Discuss the relationship between culture and healthy behaviors and the implications in designing health interventions.
Module 7: Women and Children
- Describe the determinants of women’s health, the global burden of maternal mortality, and mitigation strategies.
- Describe challenges in improving women’s health in low- and middle-income countries, as well as the importance of women’s health to individuals, families, and communities.
- Describe success stories in improving women’s health and the lessons that can be applied to other women’s health efforts.
- Discuss the key causes of child illness and the importance of neonatal death in overall child deaths, as well as the risk factors for neonatal and infant mortality.
- Describe cost-effective child health interventions and examples of successful child health initiatives.
- Describe the global burden, costs, and consequences of nutritional problems, the determinants of nutritional status, approaches to address key nutrition concerns, as well as the relationship between nutrition and health.
Module 8: Infectious Diseases and Non-Communicable Diseases
- Discuss the determinants of selected infectious diseases, including emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance.
- Explain key concepts concerning the prevention and transmission of those infectious diseases.
- Review the costs and consequences of key infectious diseases.
- Describe key noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and their burden worldwide.
Module 9: Global Health and the Environmen
- Discuss key environmental threats to health in low- and middle-income countries.
- Review the burden of disease from indoor and outdoor air pollution and unsafe water and sanitation.
- Explain the evidence for climate change and its impacts on economically disadvantaged populations and global health.
- Comment on the costs and consequences of these environmental burdens.
- Describe cost-effective ways of reducing the global burden of environmental health problems.
- Describe why water and sanitation—particularly as systems that can promote justice—are essential to health.
- Capture the inequitable impact of both water/sanitation deficits and climate change impacts.
- Describe the health effects of natural disasters and complex humanitarian emergencies.
- Identify essential components of pandemic preparedness plans, including early detection, surveillance, healthcare system readiness, and public health communication.
- Discuss how pandemics strain health systems, with a focus on challenges faced by low- and middle-income countries, and the role of global coordination in mitigating their effects.
- Examine the health challenges faced by migrants, such as access to health care, infectious disease risks, and mental health issues, particularly in refugee and displaced populations.
- Assess the effectiveness of global health policies in addressing the health needs of migrants, focusing on international cooperation and resource distribution.
Module 10: Building Healthy Societies
- Explain strategies for becoming involved in equity-oriented global health and identify the skills, knowledge, and experience required to capitalize on those opportunities.
- Learn about careers in global health and articulate personalized career goals in the global health field.